Tackling Kids Clutter: Step 2 - Containing
The following is an in-depth look at CONTAINING, the second of our 3 essential practices for taking charge of kids’ clutter, part of be.neat studio’s 4-part blog series.
Once you’ve taken the time to Minimize and have decided what to keep with purpose, you are ready to assign spaces to contain key categories. If you’ve searched for organizing inspiration on social media, chances are you’ve seen beautiful images with stylish bins, matching containers and clever product designs. It’s certainly tempting to look to containers as the solution to your kids’ clutter. But don’t be fooled, there is more to this stage than hitting up The Container Store (or any one of our Canadian alternatives). Containers are key but they are only half the battle, so read on!
It didn’t take me long as a parent to realize that kids could undo all my tidying work faster than I could throw a load of laundry in. With young kids, and while hosting playdates, I just started to accept that whatever I put in open bins or shelves would end up dumped out on the floor…over and over again, hence my desire to minimize what they could dump out. When it comes to this second stage of containing, I still like to plan where things should go, with the realistic expectation of where they will end up during playtime. That means anything I really don’t want dumped out and mixed together requires extra barriers…boxes with lids they need help opening, closed-door storage…or high placement.
Here we’ve broken down the most important considerations when giving everything its rightful place:
Assign one main area as the home for each category of kid things in your house. For instance, toys will likely be in a basement playroom, clothes and accessories in the bedroom, books in the bedroom, crafts in kitchen. Where it goes will depend on the space available, layout of the house and where it gets used. Having one storage place per category is the most efficient way to use your space.
Since we know things (especially kids’ things) have a way of spreading throughout the house, create spaces near where items are frequently enjoyed so you can temporarily keep few things handy. For instance:
Give each kid a catch-all cubby or bin on each level of your house, outside where the playroom is (e.g. bedroom and living area). With ownership over their bins, they can decide what stays or what returns to the main storage area at clean-up time.
If your dinner table doubles as a craft or game table, leave space in nearby cabinets to stash away activities, games or crafts between use. (These can be returned to the main storage area when the activity is completed.)
Have a magnet board in the kitchen to display favourite kids’ creations temporarily before selecting the extra special ones to file away as keepsakes.
For small entryways, keep out only what is used frequently that season, and keep the rest in their bedroom closet or another family outerwear storage area.
For your main toy storage area, ensure you’re equipped with suitable storage furniture, shelves or built-ins.
Are there already cabinets or shelves that can be used? (This is where minimizing your own things first can help carve out prime storage for kids’ things. In the photo below, we carved out 4 cubbies for the kids by using the other 8 cubbies of books & media more efficiently.)
If you need to introduce storage furniture or shelving, what dimensions fit the space best? The IKEA KALLAX units are so versatile, fitting baskets (for small toys), medium-sized toys, books and LEGO creations. The deep IKEA PAX wardrobe (fitted with shelves and your choice of doors) is great for storing larger items (ride along toys, ramps, large vehicles) and you’ll appreciate factoring these larger items into the planning to reduce the visual clutter of having them all line the walls.
Having a combination of high and low storage is ideal. Low, open storage gives kids easy access for free play/clean-up and upper shelves or closed cabinets help keep things with small parts and messy crafts out of reach.
Start assigning places to key categories, on your shelves, including bins, baskets or other small storage solutions.
Most importantly, place the favourite items (those used most frequently) within arm’s reach for your kids, using low shelves and open baskets for easy access and clean-up.
Here are some suggestions for containing key categories that we frequently find lead to clutter:
Small Vehicles - Group together in baskets
Larger Vehicles - Store directly on shelves
Indoor Sports - Keep balls, mini-sticks etc. in a basket
Medium-to-large Dolls/Action Figures - Use open baskets
Small Dolls/Action Figures w. Accessories - Keep sets grouped together in small lidded bins
Costumes - Use hooks or a coat rack
Card Collections - Keep them in sleeves (pure collections should go in binders and playing cards can go in boxes)
Jewellery - Anything that’s not costume-related can be kept in the child’s room in a jewelry box, special purse, drawer or dresser-top container
Hair Accessories - In addition to keeping them in their bedroom or bathroom, you’ll likely want a main floor hair station (a divided section in a drawer for a brush and a few accessories)
LEGO - Keep complete sets together when possible, storing in clear drawers or stackable bins (experts recommend sorting by colour to stimulate creativity)
Art & Crafts - Keep a curated drawer, tray or small cart of the essentials handy to encourage kids to colour when inspired, but have a larger cabinet or cart to keep crafts organized by type in labelled bins
Seasonal - Keep your books and toys in your holiday/special occasion storage bins
As we indicated at the minimizing stage, we see the value in rotating some toy sets in and out. This is one way to ensure that your main toy room isn’t overflowing with things, even if you have trouble paring down any further. By limiting the amount of toys out for free play at any given time, and swapping things in and out, kids will have new inspiration and the maintenance step will be easier. (Win-win for the whole family!) Other than storage rooms, the top shelves in kids closets are often under-utilized and would be perfect to tap into. I’ve also carved out a couple shelves in my office for some of my kids extra activity/craft sets.
Homes big and small present their own unique challenges in terms of making space for everything. We’ve helped maximize the space in small rooms and brought order to large homes where ample cabinet space can be disorganized or under-utilized. The key is to recognize what space you have to work with and plan your storage systems around it. Even big homes can have small basement play areas, but you can create dedicated spaces for everything using so many great CONTAINING mom-hacks, making any space feel bigger and neater. Here’s a recap, along with some other favourite hacks:
Maximize full wall height with tall shelving
Use closets & dressers to their full potential, removing anything that doesn’t need to be there
Use backs of doors for storage with mounted baskets or hooks
Use open bins/baskets for easy access
Create under-bed storage
Store like-with-like items for most efficient use of space
Keep toys in rotation, storing some toys out of reach from the main play area
Put things with small pieces (games, puzzles, etc.) in bins with lids, or bags, and bring them out with purpose then return immediately after use
Use what you have on hand to contain things, repurposing what you can find around the house (e.g. Ziploc freezer bags or empty peanut butter jars)
Designate personal areas / give ownership
Our 4-part blog series concludes next week with how to maintain your newly minimized and contained belongings. Be sure to revisit the blog and learn how to establish a system that sticks!
